1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved graphical user interface to allow a user to input operational commands to a computer and manipulate the position of images on a display screen. More particularly, it relates to an improved graphical user interface in which an icon representing an object is dragged through an icon representing a process in order to cause the computer to execute the process function on the object.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Graphical user interfaces, which allow a user to manipulate the position of icons on a computer display screen in order to input conventional commands to the system, are well known in the art. For example, the IBM OS/2 Workplace Shell Desktop Motif provides such icon manipulation. There, as an example of one operation, a user can delete a document by dragging the document icon across the screen and dropping it on a shredder icon displayed on the screen. Copending application Ser. No. 07/880,822, filed May 11, 1992, (attorney's docket number AT9-92-008) entitled "Icon Information System" and assigned to the assignee of this application, and which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method, system and program for transforming one or more icons in an object-oriented, graphical environment. As taught in this copending application, a user, using a drag and drop manipulation, moves an icon representing an object onto an icon representing the process. The graphical user interface program removes the object icon from the display and a new icon with changed contents and/or attributes in accordance with the function performed by the process represented by the process icon.
While generally satisfactory, process capable icons in use today are somewhat limited in the scope or complexity of the process which can be called for. That is, the process icon activates a process that always performs the same function or alternatively, employs a pop-up menu or other means for the user to specify additional process commands (e.g., process direction). Then, too, with the process-capable icons in use today, the dragged object is dropped in the receptive area of the process capable icon in order to invoke the process represented by the icon. If the process results in an output object, then the user must reacquire the object to drag it to another location and in any case must abandon the object while it is being processed.